


Ah, Young Love

by EchoSiriusRumme



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: (just a lil bit), Age Regression/De-Aging, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, De-aged Bucky, De-aged tony, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Get Together, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, M/M, Misunderstandings, Steve Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark Friendship, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, but - Freeform, pre-Starkbucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 08:19:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7040542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoSiriusRumme/pseuds/EchoSiriusRumme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve just wants his best friends - who are <em>obviously</em> in love with each other - to be happy.  Too bad they think the other hates them, no matter how many times Steve tries to convince them otherwise.  To make things worse, Steve is suddenly in the care of said friends-turned-tots after a mission gone wrong...or perhaps gone right, as the two boys don't seem to have the same reservations as their grown selves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ah, Young Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seraphenanox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphenanox/gifts).



> This is my first time writing Starkbucks, but I had been meaning to write something for this ship soon, so why not in the Fling? This is for [seraphenanox](http://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphenanox), and I really do hope you like it darling! ^-^

Steve came back to himself, chin resting on his hand as he focused back on a _still_ speaking Bucky. “And would it kill him to point that beautiful smile at me for once? I mean, he showed it to DUM-E yesterday, after the bot gave him oily coffee! Yes, I’m aware I am jealous of a robot, but it’s all Tony’s fault!”

Steve rolled his eyes fondly, about to comment on how ridiculous Bucky sounded, but he was cut off as Bucky looked over at him again. “Why does he hate me Stevie?” If Steve had a quarter for every time he had heard this phrase – and a similar one from a certain genius – then he would be _richer_ than said genius.

There had been countless late nights watching a new movie, only to be interrupted by Tony stumbling and falling onto the couch next to him. Sometimes Steve would be lucky, and Tony would simply sit next to him and enjoy the movie. Usually, however, Tony’s commentary on the movie would gradually turn into lamenting over Bucky and why there seemed to be a wall between them.

A pillow to the face jolted Steve out of his thoughts, and he shoved the cushion back at his best friend. “Sorry Buck, got kind of lost there,” he grinned sheepishly at the scowling man. “But I’m telling ya, stop being so stubborn and just talk to the guy! You two are my best friends, would I steer you wrong?”

A smirk crossed Bucky’s face, morphing into a faux contemplative expression as he plopped down next to Steve on the couch. “I dunno, I’m remembering more and more each day. And I already have a few memories that say you _would_ and _have_ steered me wrong.”

“Still such a jerk,” Steve sighed dramatically, laughing when Bucky shoved him again, muttering ‘punk’ under his breath but smiling all the same.

\------------------------------------------------------

Bucky grunted from the impact of yet _another_ of those Hydra bots crashing into him. It seemed the organization had gotten a new ally, as Bucky had never seen robots roaming the halls of the Hydra posts before. Using his metal hand to rip the bot’s arm off, he whipped it around to bash the machine in the head with its’ own fist. _‘Not a very tech-savvy ally,’_ Bucky mused, looking at how the robot’s head had caved like tin foil.

As if he had read Bucky’s thoughts, Tony suddenly said over the coms, _“OK, these are only slightly better than the Hammeroids we fought last month. Do you think Hydra has sunk so low to allow_ him _to help?”_

_“Either way, be careful over there Shellhead,”_ Steve ordered, the clash of his shield against a bot ringing in the background. _“They may not have any order to their attack, but they’re still dangerous.”_

Bucky rolled his eyes, though a fond smile curled his lips against his will at Tony’s response. _“Yes_ dear _, I promise to be careful.”_

_“Iron Man,”_ came Steve’s exasperated sigh.

Bucky’s grin widened as he ran through the now empty hall, adding, “Uh-oh, I think Mom and Dad are going to fight again.”

_“Does this mean no family dinner tonight?”_ Clint called out, and Bucky could practically see the shit-eating grin from wherever the archer was perched.

Before Bucky could retort however, Steve interrupted with a faux-annoyed, _“If the chatter keeps going, then everyone will be sent to bed without_ any _dinner.”_

A moment of silence, then Tony stage-whispered, _“Don’t worry kids, I’ll sneak you some snacks. Mama’s got you.”_

Bucky burst out laughing, the coms ringing with the others’ laughter too. And he definitely didn’t get a surge of warmth through his chest after hearing Tony’s pleased giggles underneath the rest of them.

A long-withering sigh, then, _“All right team, how about we focus on the mission first, food later?”_

_“Whatever you say Cap,”_ came Natasha’s amused voice.

A loud crash over the coms cut through the frivolity, and Bucky immediately froze at Tony’s grunt of pain. “Stark! Are you OK?”

A heavy pant, and with the super serum in his blood, Bucky could just about hear the servos working in Tony’s armor. “ _Just_ –” another grunt of effort. “ _Peachy._ ”

“ _Do you require assistance, Iron Man?_ ” Apparently Steve realized what a futile question that was, as he ordered almost immediately after, “ _Winter, follow his coordinates and get him out. We’re just about done here anyways._ ”

_“No! Don’t worry about me, I can get out myself.”_ Bucky tried not to let how fervent Tony sounded in keeping him away, and focused more on how breathless Tony was.

“Negative Stark, I’m en route. Hang tight.” Using the GPS tracker they each carried, Bucky ran through the halls until he finally found the room Tony was in.

Running through the door, Bucky saw that the entire room was filled with huge machines. Most were merely computers, but some sported laser-like attachments, like out of a sci-fi movie. Bucky could only imagine what they were supposed to do – and he didn’t really want to find out.

Looking around, Bucky saw the Iron Man suit pinned underneath one such machine. Helmet discarded at some point, Tony was still attempting to push at the parts holding his legs down, and didn’t see Bucky until he was kneeling beside the suit.

“Want a hand?” Bucky didn’t wait for an answer, already slotting his hands under the machine and bracing himself. Taking a deep breath and nodding to Tony, they lifted together, making enough space for Tony to slide his legs out.

Once Tony was clear, Bucky just let the machine drop. The crash barely made him flinch, though Bucky did hold back a grimace at the glare Tony shot at him. _‘Great job at trying to make him like you, dumbass.’_

He almost missed it under the scraping of Tony getting to his feet, but Bucky could definitely hear a high pitched ringing. And it sounded like it was coming from the machine they had just moved.

Whipping his head back around, Bucky saw the pointed end of the machine start to glow, the light getting brighter by the second. He barely had time to shout, “Tony, _move!_ ” before they were enveloped in light. The last thing Bucky saw was Tony’s terrified expression before everything went dark.

\---------------------------------------------

Steve couldn’t look away. There, seated on the couch and looking more confused and lost than Steve felt, were the mini versions of his best friends. Perhaps thankfully though, Tony hadn’t kept his arc reactor, and Bucky had his own two arms back.

The bona fide 4 year olds Bucky and Tony had been found huddled together and crying under a table at the last known location of Iron Man and Winter. They had eventually been calmed down enough to follow the team onto the Quinjet, where Bruce was able to get a blood sample that confirmed that they had somehow been de-aged.

Since they had both recognized Steve from their childhoods, the team had delegated him official babysitting duties. At the moment he had asked JARVIS to play some cartoons for them, looking on as he sat in the kitchen with Natasha and Clint.

“This is so weird.” Steve finally looked away from the boys, turning towards Clint with a raised eyebrow. Clint gestured vaguely towards the living room, adding, “I mean, I know we deal with weird stuff all the time. But this is on another level. How long do you think they’re going to be like this?”

Steve sighed. “I don’t know, but Bruce is working on finding a cure to their situation. Hopefully Tony and Bucky aren’t too upset when they get turned back.”

Natasha laughed softly, gaining Steve and Clint’s attention. Smiling, she pointed at the couch. “I don’t think there’ll be a problem. The little ones have more sense than our bigger friends.”

The sound of giggling reached Steve’s ears, and he turned incredulous eyes on the little tykes. They were sitting in the middle of the couch, legs extended onto the coffee table in front of them. Tony was curled towards Bucky, and as Steve watched, they giggled at the cartoon again, Tony tucking his face into Bucky’s chest as he did.

Huffing out an exasperated breath, Steve shook his head. “Of _course_ this would be the push they need to show their feelings. They’ve been skirting around each other for _months_ now.”

Clint groaned, slumping back in his chair dramatically. “Don’t even get me started! Those idiots are so gone for each other, it was getting ridiculous.”

Steve laughed again, ready to tell the two about their constant whining to him for advice, when a tug on his sleeve redirected his attention. Looking down, a wide grin crossed Steve’s face at seeing them holding hands. Tony was hiding slightly behind Bucky, the thumb of his free hand placed neatly into his mouth as he peered up at the adults.

“Tony said he’s hungry. Can we have snacks, please?” Steve’s eyebrows rose again, a fond smile crossing his face as he took in Bucky’s earnest expression and Tony’s hopeful eyes.

Whenever Bucky had been gone for a girl when they were little like that, he would completely transform into the sweetest, politest boy to impress said crush – as opposed to the ragamuffin he usually was. It seemed that behaviour had returned with his de-aging.

“Of course. Are goldfish and apples okay?” Steve asked, getting up and walking to the cupboards.

A muffled “yes” was heard, and Steve peeked over his shoulder to see Tony sidling up to stand beside Bucky, thumb still firmly set in his mouth. He was delighted to see them still holding hands, Bucky leading Tony over to the table to sit across from Clint and Natasha.

Steve quickly cut and plated the apple slices, pouring some goldfish into a bowl and placing both in front of the boys. He grinned at seeing Bucky inconspicuously push the dishes closer to Tony, who had apparently always been on the small side, his shorter arms not quite reaching the apple slices.

Going back to the counter to pour them some orange juice, Steve heard Clint say, “Hey guys, watch this!”

Suddenly filled with dread, Steve turned back, cups in hand, to see Clint grab a few goldfish. Throwing them up in the air one by one, Steve watched as he thankfully caught them all in his mouth.

Natasha and Steve sighed at Clint’s wide grin, the boys whooping before going to grab more goldfish to try the trick themselves. Naturally, most of the goldfish was on the floor by the end of snack time, but Steve couldn’t get too upset when he noticed how much more relaxed Tony and Bucky were now.

From the moment they arrived at the Tower, Tony had been incredibly shy and quiet. It had been a little disconcerting compared to the larger-than-life personality he usually possessed. Bucky had been apprehensive of them too, but once he saw how scared Tony was, he’d quickly taken on a more protective role.

Steve watched as they ran over to the wooden logs, blocks and toy cars JARVIS had ordered. Once the team had realized the boys were there to stay for the indeterminate future, they decided that some toys and such would be a good idea.

“Well, it looks like you have everything under control here. We’ll go check on Bruce, see how he’s doing with reversing this,” Clint said, getting to his feet. Steve nodded in acknowledgement, and a moment later the elevator dinged as it left the floor.

Walking to his room, Steve quickly grabbed his sketch pad and returned to sit on the couch. Looking at the boys on the floor in front of him, Steve began the picture with Tony, keeping an ear on their conversation.

“What’re you making Tony?” Bucky asked, take some blocks for himself.

Tony looked so focused as he placed another few interlocked logs on top of his tower. Steve bit back a laugh at how mini Tony looked the same as his adult self when working hard, tongue caught between his teeth and eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Place for all m’friends to live.”

Bucky nodded seriously, peeking over the tower’s walls as Tony started fiddling with the interior. Steve was impressed – Tony had placed windows within the blocks of the exterior, and from what he could see, individual rooms were starting to take form. Apparently Bucky agreed, as he stated, “Looks really cool!”

Tony shyly looked over at Bucky, big brown eyes shining with various emotions before he regarded his tower again, muttering, “It’s not _that_ good.”

Steve couldn’t help but chuckle at Bucky’s affronted look on Tony’s behalf. “Yeah it is! It’s amazing!” A pause, and Steve actually leaned forward a little when he saw a slight blush forming on Bucky’s cheek. “... _you’re_ amazing,” he said quietly, looking at Tony anxiously.

Tony’s face _lit up_ as it had never done before. Quicker than Steve could blink, Tony leaned over and placed a kiss on Bucky’s cheek. Tony had the goofiest grin on his face while Bucky looked absolutely shocked, and Steve had to physically cover his mouth to not ruin the moment.

It seemed Steve thought too soon, because in the next second Tony’s expression morphed into pure terror. Two little hands flew up to cover his mouth, wide eyes quickly filling with tears before he gasped out a “Sorry!” and fled the room.

“Tony!” Steve and Bucky yelled simultaneously, both jumping to their feet and running after him.

Steve caught up to him first, carefully grabbing the little boy’s arm and kneeling down in front of him. He was horrified to see tears running down Tony’s face, and he carefully asked, “What’s wrong Tony? What happened?”

Tony took a shuddering breath, and Steve raised a hand to wipe fresh tears off of Tony’s cheek. “D-D-Dad said it’s wrong that I l-like Sebastian as much as R-R-Rumiko. H-he said I was a f-f-f-freak for liking girls _and_ boys.” At this point Tony burst into tears again, unable to hold it back any longer.

A wave of anger swept through Steve at his old friend – though he’d never be able to call him _that_ ever again – and how cruel Howard had been to his son. But he and Tony could have that conversation when he was older again. For now, he had to console the crying child in front of him. Before Steve could move though, Bucky swooped in front of him, startling him enough that Steve fell back onto his butt.

Taking Tony’s face in his hands, Bucky said, “Your dad’s stupid! I told my ma I like boys, and she gave me a hug and told me ‘just make sure to bring home a nice boy James.’” Bucky’s voice had gone higher-pitched as he mimicked his mom, but he quickly sobered up again.

Taking a deep breath, Bucky looked back into Tony’s eyes and said rather seriously, “I think I found a nice boy. I _really_ really like you too Tony.” With that, he pursed his lips and plopped a big wet one on Tony’s lips.

The next instant, there was a large cloud of smoke and Steve quickly scrambled to his feet in alarm. “Tony?! Bucky?! Are you oka–?” Steve froze as the smoke cleared.

There, standing in front of him, were the rightful adult versions of Tony and Bucky. Tony’s face was still clasped firmly between Bucky’s hands, both staring at each other with very wide eyes.

Tony broke the silence first, clearing his throat softly. “So,” he said, a shy smile crossing his lips. “You _really_ really like me?”

Bucky groaned, resting his forehead on Tony’s and closing his eyes. A pause, then, “Yeah, I do.”

As Steve watched, Tony’s smile grew, the nerves that had affected him earlier _melting_ away. Tony lifted a hand to caress Bucky’s own cheek, his eyes blinking open at the touch. “I like you too,” he whispered, before bringing their lips together for a proper kiss.

“Finally!” Steve whooped, startling both men apart. He started walking towards the elevator, a new spring in his step. “You take your time _making up_ for lost time, I’ll let the others know you’ve finally stopped pining after each other.”

“You’re still such a punk, Rogers!” Bucky yelled at his back as Steve walked into the elevator.

“Still a jerk, Barnes! Be safe now boys!” Steve called back, his grin nearly splitting his face at the round of good-natured insults that answered him before the doors slid closed.

Steve allowed himself a moment, taking a deep breath before the happiness he felt for his friends overwhelmed him. Exhaling on a laugh, Steve pressed the button for the common floor. News this big couldn’t be kept from the team a second longer.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my gosh, that was a lot of fun to write. I hope that it was at least a little bit enjoyable to read too! It ended up longer than I thought it'd be, but I found a groove and just went with it heh. (That's also why it's mostly from Steve's POV, which I hope was ok too). And again, seraphenanox darling, I really hope this met your expectations! Any critiques or comments are more than welcome! ^-^


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